Living Below the Line

No shit there I was, listening to the radio on the way to work last Thursday, mindlessly humming along, stopping only to ponder pressing issues, such as the correct pronunciation of Ke$ha or how strange Justin Timberlake looks with straight hair.  After sitting through that damn Bruno Mars song for the 28,334^th time, the DJs informed me that Ben Affleck would be spending a week living on $1.50 per day.  Not for a movie role, but to raise awareness for the approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty.  I began to think.  What could I actually afford if I only had $7.50 to buy a week’s worth of groceries?  How much does rice cost?  Could I afford to eat fruit or vegetables?  Eggs are cheap, right?  When I finally got to work, I went straight to Google.  I learned about an organization called Live Below the Line, which challenges people to live on $1.50 per day in an effort to highlight the everyday struggles of people around the globe.  As I was reading, I thought about the $6.00 jar of diet peanut butter I bought the week before.  I thought about my undying quest for Chicken and Waffle flavored potato chips.  I thought about how much I complain about being poor.  Then I committed.  For the next five days, I will live on just $1.50 per day.  And I plan to tell you all about it.  True story.

In the meantime, I encourage you to do as I do (or if my sermon hasn't inspired you enough, do as Ben Affleck does), and check out Live Below the Line at https://www.livebelowtheline.com/us?lang=en.  There you will find all the rules of the challenge, along with other information regarding charities that support those living in extreme poverty.  I've pledged to help the Happy Hearts Fund rebuild schools and provide children affected by natural disaster a brighter future.  To help me meet my donation goals, visit https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/pippasqueak.